Well, here we are in the territory that every Sam/Jack shipper inevitably ends up at - the relationship post-"Threads." This isn't exactly my head canon, but the story just popped into my head. I own nothing, etc. Fair warning: this got fluffier than originally anticipated.

Jack looked down at Sam's face. She was definitely fully asleep, her head firmly tucked into the crook of his neck. He was relieved. It'd been a long day.

Her dad had died. And although Jack wasn't sure what all had gone down with the cop and when, he'd found out that Sam had ended their engagement. He couldn't really say he was surprised - the writing was on the wall when she'd stopped by his place to "talk" - but he was sad that she was going through a break-up while dealing with the loss of her father. He couldn't let her be alone that evening, so he'd sprung for takeout and sat with her on her couch while some old re-run played on the TV.

Jack looked at his watch. 23:30. It was getting late. He should be going home. And he shouldn't be holding his beautiful, grieving 2IC like this. If he fell asleep here and woke up with her in his arms... Don't want my sidearm starting anything. Yet.

But today, he'd told her he'd always be there. And Jack O'Neill was a man of his word. She was sleeping so soundly as she curled into him. He didn't want to mess that up for her.

He tucked her in under his arm a little more tightly. I'm just being here for her. Nothing wrong with that.

Some time later:

Sam shook her head, barely containing a giggle as she looked over Jack's answers to their latest crossword puzzle. His heart grew warm watching her fight her amusement. She still had a long way to go in the grieving process, but the fact that she could smile like that was encouraging.

She looked up at him, and he smiled. Jack didn't know what exactly they were doing just yet. They had both recently become unattached, but the next step in their relationship wasn't clear. He knew what he wanted, and he was fairly certain that she wanted the same thing from him. He couldn't make a move on her now, though, not so soon after her father's death. Besides, there were still those doggone frat regs to consider.

So here he was, sitting in her kitchen while they sipped on their coffee and went over the crossword puzzle. It felt very domestic, like they had just crawled out of bed and puttered around the kitchen making breakfast together. If only.

Sam spoke, breaking into his thoughts. "Sir, 'Cartoon villain' is not Apophis."

"Hmm," Jack hummed as he pretended to think, glancing up at the ceiling. He could just see Sam pursing her lips together as she suppressed another giggle. "Ba'al, then?"

Finally, she did laugh, her blue eyes dancing. He grinned, unable to hold back his satisfaction at seeing her in such a good mood. In fact, he was having a hard time holding back on any of his emotions. He'd successfully maintained a suitable distance from Sam for eight years, but it seemed the walls he had carefully built between the two of them were beginning to crumble.

His watch beeped, providing an interruption that was somehow both welcome and annoying. Sam grimaced as he turned his alarm off.

"Alright, Carter," he said, pushing himself up from the table. "Time to head on back to base."

Sam sighed, and he felt like sighing as well. This wasn't their first coffee date (Wait - not a date!) since her dad's passing, but it seemed like each one felt shorter than the last. It was enough to make Jack want to go to her house even earlier than their usual time - say, the night before.

Sam stood as she took a last swig of her coffee. "Yes, sir." Her voice was dutiful but had a twinge of disappointment.

He had to do something to encourage her. "Same time tomorrow?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She smiled and nodded. "It's a date," she agreed. Her eyes then widened as she realized what she'd just said.

He maintained a neutral expression, not wanting to start something he couldn't finish yet but also not wanting to discourage a potential advance in their relationship. He nodded. "See you then, Carter."

Before too long, they went out the door, each heading to their own vehicles. Jack couldn't get the idea of dating Sam out of his head. Technically, they were not dating, though - just drinking coffee before work. They'd never called these morning meetings dates. Sam's statement was just a turn of phrase, right?

Jack nodded to himself as he cranked up his truck, accepting his own explanation. He was just being there for her right now, helping her get through her grief.

Sam sucked in a breath as Jack nipped at her collarbone.

How they'd gotten here, he couldn't say. She had finally come to the cabin with the rest of the gang, and he'd been excited to show her around the place before pulling her out to his pond. They began fishing as Teal'c and Daniel got comfortable. Jack didn't care if he caught anything from that pond. He was lucky enough to have pulled Carter up from the SGC.

She caught something, of course. He wasn't even surprised. Sam had failed at some things before, but the more time passed, the better she got at... well, everything. Jack was convinced that the woman would eventually conquer every skill known to man or Asgardian. Might as well start prepping to serve under her command as ruler of the universe. Naturally, fishing was just one of the skills she would master quickly.

The fish wasn't quite big enough to cook, however, so Jack fired up the grill for the steaks he'd bought. "These taste ten times better up in the Minnesota air, Carter," he declared as she watched him lay the steaks over the coals. Daniel and Sam agreed once they tucked into the food, although Teal'c concluded, "I detect no significant difference in taste, O'Neill."

When dinner was over and the kitchen had been thoroughly cleaned, Teal'c announced that he and Daniel were tired and would be retiring to bed early. Daniel started to say something, but a stern look from Teal'c appeared to change his mind. The two men went into the room they were sharing, and Jack and Sam found themselves heading back out to the pier.

"We won't wake Danny and T up with our talking out here, Carter," Jack explained as they sat on the edge of the pier, legs dangling over the side.

Sam nodded, planting her hands on either side of her to support her position. "That's good," she approved, looking over at him.

His eyes softened as he looked at her. This was the stuff of his G-rated dreams - Carter in the moonlight at his cabin. Although, come to think of it, those dreams did tend to veer in a more mature direction every once in a while.

Sam's eyes seemed to darken, making Jack wonder if she was reading his thoughts through his eyes. It was getting harder and harder to not just grab her by the arms and dive into that delectable mouth of hers. He'd kissed her in that time loop all those years ago - he knew just how good she tasted.

"Sir," she whispered softly, knocking him out of his memories and into a more sober state. He straightened up, ready to behave appropriately. Until her transfer to Area 51 was complete, he wasn't going to make his move. They were so close to the day he could finally... Ask her out? Pull her into a closet? Drag her into Vegas for a quick wedding? He was ready to go as far and as fast as she wanted. He'd had plenty of time to figure out that she was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"Yeah, Carter?" he asked, unintentionally whispering in response. Somehow, that felt like the right way to answer her, and her eyes softened. He'd do anything to get that look in her eyes again.

Her lips curved up gently, and in a move that surprised him, she took hold of his left hand. "Thank you," she continued to whisper. "This has been a beautiful day."

He smiled, and she opened her mouth once more. "I'm going to miss all three of you, you know. I think this trip is giving all of us some closure - letting us have one more round being together as a team."

Jack nodded, feeling a bit more somber. "Yes. It's hard to say goodbye," he admitted, looking down as he swallowed hard. "I'm glad we're all getting some time together again." He was glad about it, even though a part of him had selfishly thought at one point about getting Sam all to himself. They all needed this time together, though. Even the stoic Teal'c, Jack knew, would miss his team. They had become family to the Jaffa. Indeed, as Teal'c would say.

Sam squeezed Jack's hand. Before, Jack knew, she would have let go at this point, but this time, she slipped her hand further into his grasp. He looked up at her, struck by how intense her gaze had become.

"Jack," was all she said, and it was enough to make his heart race, increasing his adrenaline and fueling some secret hope for that evening. She leaned towards him. He found himself instinctively leaning towards her a bit in return.

"Jack," she reiterated, having dropped "Sir" completely. "I don't want to say goodbye to you."

Heart pounding, he leaned a little closer to her. It wasn't the appropriate time according to the regs, but it was still time. "I don't want to say goodbye to you, either," he confessed, feeling pounds lighter as the door to the room they'd stuffed all their feelings and dreams in opened.

Now both of her hands clasped his hand as she drew in a deep breath. It struck Jack that she seemed to think he might reject her. Oh, Carter, he thought, not a chance in hell of that happening now.

She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, and Jack could suddenly feel blood rushing southwards. He swayed even closer to her, helplessly drawn in.

Sam finally spoke. "I want you," she asserted, gathering herself together as she clearly had a lot to say. "I tried to not have feelings for you. I tried to make something work with Pete. But I didn't want him. And I don't want to keep going home alone and thinking about what it would be like if you were going home with me."

He stared, waiting. He knew she wasn't done talking just yet.

Sam closed her eyes for a moment before looking back up at him. "Daniel mentioned that you aren't with Kerry anymore. And you keep hanging around. Being there for me. If you still have feelings for me - if you still care for me a lot more than you're supposed to -" her voice trailed off, and Jack had to step in now.

"I do," he said, voice hoarse with emotion. "I haven't been able to stop feeling things, either. I hung around with Kerry when I thought you were going to marry that... Pete. But she knew that I felt more for you than I was ever going to feel for her. I couldn't even contradict her when she told me as much."

Time for those three little words, Jack thought as Sam's lips quivered. He reached out with the hand she wasn't currently clinging to and gently held her cheek. "I love you, Sam," he whispered, relief flooding his system. "And even though I'm leaving for Washington, I'm not leaving you."

She jumped forward - and her lips were on him. He held himself back for a moment, trying to remind himself of things like rules and regs, but her tongue started working his lips apart. What the hell, he mused as he surrendered, enjoying her kisses before moving down into other territories.

It seemed she needed this, and he had promised that he would always be there for her.